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Cartas de Pablo Capítulos 12–16: Vivir el evangelio

El evangelio revela la justicia de Dios, dada gratuitamente a todos los que creen.

Romanos es la explicación más completa del evangelio que escribió Pablo. Muestra que todas las personas, tanto judíos como gentiles, han pecado y están destituidas de la gloria de Dios, y que Dios justifica gratuitamente a los pecadores por su gracia, mediante la fe en Jesucristo.

Autor: El apóstol Pablo · Fecha: c. 57 d. C.

Panorama, bosquejo y versículos clave
Romanos 16 RVR1960
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1Os recomiendo además nuestra hermana Febe, la cual es diaconisa de la iglesia en Cencrea; 2que la recibáis en el Señor, como es digno de los santos, y que la ayudéis en cualquier cosa en que necesite de vosotros; porque ella ha ayudado a muchos, y a mí mismo. 3Saludad a Priscila y a Aquila, mis colaboradores en Cristo Jesús, 4que expusieron su vida por mí; a los cuales no solo yo doy gracias, sino también todas las iglesias de los gentiles. 5Saludad también a la iglesia de su casa. Saludad a Epeneto, amado mío, que es el primer fruto de Acaya para Cristo. 6Saludad a María, la cual ha trabajado mucho entre vosotros. 7Saludad a Andrónico y a Junias, mis parientes y mis compañeros de prisiones, los cuales son muy estimados entre los apóstoles, y que también fueron antes de mí en Cristo. 8Saludad a Amplias, amado mío en el Señor. 9Saludad a Urbano, nuestro colaborador en Cristo Jesús, y a Estaquis, amado mío. 10Saludad a Apeles, aprobado en Cristo. Saludad a los de la casa de Aristóbulo. 11Saludad a Herodión, mi pariente. Saludad a los de la casa de Narciso, los cuales están en el Señor. 12Saludad a Trifena y a Trifosa, las cuales trabajan en el Señor. Saludad a la amada Pérsida, la cual ha trabajado mucho en el Señor. 13Saludad a Rufo, escogido en el Señor, y a su madre y mía. 14Saludad a Asíncrito, a Flegonte, a Hermas, a Patrobas, a Hermes y a los hermanos que están con ellos. 15Saludad a Filólogo, a Julia, a Nereo y a su hermana, a Olimpas y a todos los santos que están con ellos. 16Saludaos los unos a los otros con ósculo santo. Os saludan todas las iglesias de Cristo. 17Mas os ruego, hermanos, que os fijéis en los que causan divisiones y tropiezos en contra de la doctrina que vosotros habéis aprendido, y que os apartéis de ellos. 18Porque tales personas no sirven a nuestro Señor Jesucristo, sino a sus propios vientres, y con suaves palabras y lisonjas engañan los corazones de los ingenuos. 19Porque vuestra obediencia ha venido a ser notoria a todos, así que me gozo de vosotros; pero quiero que seáis sabios para el bien, e ingenuos para el mal. 20Y el Dios de paz aplastará en breve a Satanás bajo vuestros pies. La gracia de nuestro Señor Jesucristo sea con vosotros. 21Os saludan Timoteo mi colaborador, y Lucio, Jasón y Sosípater, mis parientes. 22Yo Tercio, que escribí la epístola, os saludo en el Señor. 23Os saluda Gayo, hospedador mío y de toda la iglesia. Os saluda Erasto, tesorero de la ciudad, y el hermano Cuarto. 24La gracia de nuestro Señor Jesucristo sea con todos vosotros. Amén. 25Y al que puede confirmaros según mi evangelio y la predicación de Jesucristo, según la revelación del misterio que se ha mantenido oculto desde tiempos eternos, 26pero que ha sido manifestado ahora, y que por las Escrituras de los profetas, según el mandamiento del Dios eterno, se ha dado a conocer a todas las gentes para que obedezcan a la fe, 27al único y sabio Dios, sea gloria mediante Jesucristo para siempre. Amén.
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Benson
Romans 16
Benson Commentary Romans 16:1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: Romans 16:1-2 . I commend — Rather, recommend; unto you — That is, To your love and assistance; Phebe our sister — The bearer of this letter; a servant — Or deaconess, as the Greek word signifies; of the church at Cenchrea — Which seems to have been a church distant from that at Corinth. Indeed, this place, being situated on the Saronic gulf, was about seventy furlongs, near nine miles, distant from that city; therefore those Christians that lived there could not with convenience, at least generally, assemble with such as resided at Corinth. In the apostolic age, some grave and pious women were appointed deaconesses in every church; and it was their office, not to teach publicly, but to visit the sick, the women in particular, and to minister to them both in their temporal and spiritual necessities. The apostle calls Phebe his sister, because she was a true Christian, a genuine believer on the Lord Jesus, and consequently a child and heir of God, and joint heir with Christ. For the appellations of brother and sister, which the disciples gave to one another in the first age, were founded on their being all the children of God by faith, consequently the brethren and sisters of Christ, who acknowledged the relation by publicly declaring, Matthew 12:50 , Whosoever shall do the will of my Father, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. That ye receive her — Entertain her, and treat her with affection; in the Lord — For the Lord Christ’s sake, and in regard to her relation to him, our common Saviour; as becometh saints — According to the duty which Christians owe one toward another, and as it is proper they should act who profess to be saints, separated from the world to the honour of Christ’s name; and that ye assist her — With counsel, and every necessary aid; in whatsoever business she hath need of you — This implies, that she had come to Rome on business of importance; perhaps to seek the payment of a debt owing to her by some of the inhabitants of Rome, or to complain of undue exactions by some of the emperor’s officers in the province. For she hath been a succourer of many — Probably supplying their wants, if not also entertaining them at her house. The word ????????? properly signifies a patron, a name which the Romans gave to persons who assisted with their advice and interest those who were connected with them as clients. Therefore, as Phebe had this name given her, it is reasonable to believe that she was a person of considerable wealth and influence. Or, we may suppose the name was given her on account of the offices she performed to many as a deaconess. The apostle’s direction implies, that all the faithful ought to be particularly attentive in giving assistance and relief to those who have been remarkable for assisting and relieving others. Romans 16:2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also. Romans 16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Romans 16:3-5 . Greet — Or, salute, as ????????? is generally rendered; Priscilla and Aquila — That is, declare to them my Christian love, and desires of their welfare. The apostle first became acquainted with this excellent couple at Corinth, to which city they had come from Rome in consequence of a decree of the Emperor Claudius commanding all Jews to depart thence. When Paul left Corinth the first time, they accompanied him to Ephesus, Acts 18:2 ; Acts 18:18-19 : and when he departed from that city to go to Jerusalem, they did not go with him, but remained at Ephesus till he returned, as appears from their sending their salutations to the Corinthians in the apostle’s first epistle to them, chap. Romans 16:19 , written from Ephesus while he abode there, after his return from Jerusalem, mentioned Acts 19:1 . But on the death of Claudius they appear, from this verse, to have gone back to Rome to follow their occupation, being there when this salutation was sent to them. My fellow-helpers — Namely, in propagating the gospel, being always ready to exert themselves to the utmost to aid its progress, as far as they had opportunity. They had been very active in spreading the gospel both at Corinth and Ephesus; and doubtless they were so now at Rome also. Who have for my life laid down their own necks — Hazarded their own lives to save mine; perhaps in the violent opposition which the Jews made to him, as mentioned Acts 18:6-7 ; or in the uproar at Corinth, recorded Acts 18:12 ; or in that at Ephesus, Acts 19:23 . The expression, which is proverbial, and denotes their undergoing the greatest perils, is used in allusion to the custom of placing on blocks the necks of criminals, whose heads are to be cut off. Unto whom not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles — Even that at Rome; give thanks — Because the preservation of his life redounded to the benefit of them all. Likewise greet — Salute; the church that is in their house — The Christian congregation, that was wont to assemble there for divine worship. Aquila, it seems, performed the same part at Rome which Gains did at Corinth, Romans 16:23 ; he opened his house to receive the gospel, and those that were desirous to attend the ministry of it, and to join in the worship of the true God. As yet, however, it seems the Christians at Rome had neither bishops nor deacons. So far were they from any shadow of papal power. Nay, there does not appear to have been then in the whole city any more than one of these domestic churches, otherwise there can be no doubt but Paul would have saluted them also. Salute my well-beloved Epenetus — Although the apostle had never been at Rome, yet he had many acquaintances there. It is justly observed by Theophylact, that it was a very great praise to any one to have been the beloved of Paul, because his love was not the effect of a blind partiality, but of a well-founded judgment concerning the person’s true character. Who is the first-fruits of Achaia — The Alexandrine and Clermont MSS., with the Arabic, Ethiopic, and Vulgate versions, and many Greek and Latin commentators, have ??? ????? , of Asia, in this place; which some suppose to be the true reading, because, 1 Corinthians 16:15 , the apostle calls the house of Stephanas, the first-fruits of Achaia. But if Epenetus was one of that house, or was converted at the same time with Stephanas, he also was a part of the first-fruits of Achaia, for there is no manner of necessity to understand by that expression the very first Christian convert. Romans 16:4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Romans 16:5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. Romans 16:6 Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us. Romans 16:6 . Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us — Performed many good offices for the faithful, especially for the preachers of the gospel. The apostle is very affectionate in these salutations, giving almost every one some signal epithet, that he might both recommend them for their piety and virtue, and propose them as examples for the imitation of others; as also that he might show his gratitude to them, and the esteem he had for them. And concerning these salutations, and others in the apostolic epistles, it is proper to remark in general, “that they were of great benefit to the persons saluted. For, being sent to individuals in letters addressed to the churches of which they were members, such public testimonies of the apostle’s esteem not only gave the saluted much pleasure, but confirmed them in the faith, and encouraged them to bear with patience the sufferings attending the profession of the gospel. And to us, these salutations are an example of that love which we owe to the sincere disciples of Christ on account of their character. Further, the apostle, by naming so many persons in his epistles, hath not only transmitted to posterity an honourable character of them, but hath furnished an additional proof of the truth and authenticity of his own epistles. For all the persons named in them were appealed to as witnesses of the things which he had written.” Romans 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Romans 16:7-8 . Salute Andronicus and Junia — Or, Junias rather, it being evidently the name of a man, as appears from the apostle’s terming them both his kinsmen — And saying, that they were of note among the apostles. My fellow-prisoners — That is, imprisoned for the gospel as I was. At the time when this epistle was written, Paul had been in prison often, 2 Corinthians 11:23 . On some of these occasions, the persons here named had been imprisoned with him; but where or when that happened, is not known. Who also were in Christ before me — Converted to the faith of Christ before I was. From these two persons being Christians before Paul, joined with their being of note among the apostles, Origen infers that they were of the number of the seventy disciples: but that is quite uncertain. Their being called the apostle’s kinsmen, does not necessarily imply that they were his relations: he might term them so, as well as several others, mentioned in this chapter, merely because they were of the same nation with himself. The names, however, of many here saluted, show them to have been Greeks, or of Greek extraction. We may therefore conjecture, that they had formerly settled themselves at Rome, for the sake of commerce, or of exercising their particular trades; but, being afterward banished, by the Emperor Claudius, under the denomination of Jews, they had retired, some of them into Greece, others into the Lesser Asia, and others into Judea, where, it is supposed, they became known to the apostle in the course of his travels through these countries. These, with many others, returned to Rome in consequence of the death of Claudius, and re-established the church in its former lustre. See on chap. Romans 1:7-8 . Romans 16:8 Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord. Romans 16:9 Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved. Romans 16:9-11 . Salute Urbane, or Urbanus rather, our helper — ???????? , our fellow-labourer — Mine and Timothy’s, Romans 16:21 . Salute Apelles, ??? ??????? , the approved in Christ — One who hath showed himself a sincere Christian and faithful servant of Christ, when tried by affliction and persecution for the gospel; a noble character this, and greatly to be respected. Salute those of the family of Aristobulus — Aristobulus himself is not saluted, either because he was not in Rome at that time, or because he was not yet converted, or perhaps because he was dead. He and Narcissus, mentioned in the next verse, seem each of them to have had a numerous family; some of whom only were converted, and are here saluted by the apostle, whom the fame of their virtues had reached: for probably some of them, at least, were not known to him by face, but only by character. Romans 16:10 Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household . Romans 16:11 Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord. Romans 16:12 Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord. Romans 16:12-15 . Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa — Probably two sisters; who labour in the Lord — In the service of the Lord, according to their stations: as did also Persis, who seems to be here termed beloved, because she was distinguished among many for her fidelity and diligence. Salute Rufus — Perhaps the same that is mentioned Mark 15:21 . And his mother and mine — This expression may only denote the tender care which Rufus’s mother had taken of him. Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, &c. — He seems to join those together who were joined by kindred, nearness of habitation, or some other circumstance. It could not but encourage the poor especially to be saluted by name, who, perhaps, did not know that the apostle had ever heard of them. It is observable, that while the apostle forgets none who are worthy, yet he adjusts the nature of his salutation to the degrees of worth in those whom he salutes. Salute all the saints — Here all the believers at Rome, male and female, have the appellation of saints, or holy persons, given them; as being new creatures in Christ Jesus, having in them the mind that was in him, and walking as he walked. The Papists affirm, that at the time the apostle wrote this epistle, Peter was at Rome, exercising the office of bishop in the Christian Church there: but if so, Paul doubtless would have known it; and, in that case, he surely would not have omitted saluting him, and have mentioned so many others of inferior note; and yet if Peter were not there at this time, the whole Roman tradition, with regard to the succession of their bishops, fails in the most fundamental article. Romans 16:13 Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. Romans 16:14 Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them. Romans 16:15 Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them. Romans 16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. Romans 16:16 . Salute one another with a holy kiss — “The Jews considered the kiss as an expression of friendship. Thus Joab, pretending great friendship to Amasa, took him by the beard to kiss him, when he slew him, 2 Samuel 20:9 . Our Lord says to Simon, Luke 7:45 , Thou gavest me no kiss; meaning, that he had not expressed such affection to him as the woman had done who kissed his feet. Judas also kissed our Lord, pretending friendship to him, at the time he betrayed him. This manner of expressing friendship to each other the disciples of Christ adopted, and practised in their religious assemblies. So Justin Martyr informs us, in his account of the religious assemblies of the Christians, Apolog. Prayers being ended, we salute one another with a kiss, and then the bread and cup is brought to the president, &c. This was called the holy kiss, to distinguish it from the lustful kiss; and the kiss of charity, 1 Peter 5:14 , to distinguish it from the treacherous kiss of Joab and Judas; being given as an expression of that sincere, chaste, and spiritual love, which Christians owed to one another. On the occasions mentioned by Justin, the men and women did not kiss each other promiscuously: the men saluted the men only, and the women kissed none but their own sex; as may be known from their manner of sitting in the public assemblies, described Apost. Constit., lib. 2. c. 57. On the other side let the laics sit, with all silence and good order; and the women, let them sit also separately, keeping silence. Then, after a long description of the worship, the author adds, Then let the men salute one another, and the women one another, giving the kiss in the Lord. Through length of time, and difference of manner, this method of sitting in public assemblies hath been changed. But that it was the ancient method cannot be doubted, being derived from the synagogue.” — Macknight. Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. Romans 16:17-18 . Now I beseech — ???????? , I exhort you, brethren, mark them — Observe and point them out for the caution of others. The word ??????? , rendered to mark, signifies, to observe attentively and diligently, as those do who are placed on a watch-tower to observe the motions of their enemies. Who cause divisions — Or, separations, as ??????????? signifies, namely, by their false doctrine; and offences — ?? ???????? , stumbling-blocks, or occasions of falling, by their factious spirit and scandalous conduct. Dr. Hammond thinks the apostle refers to the Gnostics, to whom indeed the characters, given in the next verse, of those here meant, do well agree. It is more probable, however, as Theodoret says, that he intends, ???? ?????? ??? ????? ?????????? , the wicked advocates of the law, namely, those who preached up circumcision, and the observation of the ceremonies of the law, as necessary to the salvation of the Gentiles: and Chrysostom, Œcumenius, and Theophylact, agree with Theodoret in this opinion. And it is certain that these men caused divisions and separations from others, as unclean and not fit to be conversed with, Acts 11:3 ; Acts 15:24 ; Galatians 2:12-13 ; Galatians 2:21 : and set up separate assemblies for the worship of God, (see Jdg 1:19 ,) on pretence of greater orthodoxy and sanctity than others, and who would admit none into their communion but such as joined them in their peculiarities, and who represented all others as erroneous and impious. Contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned — Of us, the apostles of Jesus Christ, or from me in this epistle. Many of the Roman brethren, probably, had heard the apostles and other inspired men in Judea and elsewhere, from whom they had learned the genuine doctrines of the gospel. Estius justly observes here, that the apostle intimates that even the common people, by the help of general principles, might discern the true doctrine, even that which was delivered by the apostles, from that which was false and not so delivered. But this could only then be done by comparing that which was declared by the apostles, and confirmed by their miracles, with that which was delivered as different from, or in opposition to it, and was not so confirmed. And this can only now be done by private Christians in general, by comparing all pretenders to the apostle’s doctrine, with those Scriptures which they wrote, under the influence of the Holy Ghost. And avoid them — Avoid all unnecessary intercourse with them. “It is worthy of notice,” says Macknight here, “that the apostle desires the faithful to mark them who caused divisions, not for the purpose of disputing with them, and far less for the purpose of apprehending and punishing them with fines, imprisonment, torture, and death; but that they might avoid their company, lest, by conversing familiarly with such, they should be infected with their errors and vices. For, as the apostle told Timothy, 2 Timothy 2:17 , their word eats as doth a canker, or gangrene.” For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus; they have not his glory in view, whatever they may pretend: but their own belly — Their chief aim and design is to advance their secular interests, and gratify their carnal desires. And by good words — ???????????? , by speaking kindly, or by plausible discourse, and fair speeches — ???????? , by blessings; by praying for, or pronouncing blessings upon their disciples, or by praising and flattering them; deceive the hearts of the simple — ??? ?????? , of the harmless, who, doing no ill themselves, are not upon their guard against them that do. The word denotes persons free from guile, upright and unsuspicious; but who have not discernment or prudence sufficient to enable them to see and avoid the snares which the wicked lay in their way. Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. Romans 16:19 For your obedience is come abroad unto all men . I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. Romans 16:19-20 . For, &c. — As if he had said, This exhortation I give you, to preserve you in the way in which hitherto you have walked, to the credit of the gospel: for your ready obedience and conformity to it, is come abroad unto all men — Is generally taken notice of by all who observe such things: see 1 Thessalonians 1:8 . The Greek is, literally, your obedience hath come to all — That is, the fame of your obedience. For that such a number of the inhabitants of the metropolis of the Roman empire had forsaken the gods whom they and their forefathers had worshipped, and had believed in and now worshipped the God of the Jews, and relied for salvation, present and eternal, on a person who had been crucified as a malefactor in Judea, must have been much spoken of through all the provinces, even among the heathen, and must have been observed by the Christians with great joy and gratitude to God. I am glad, therefore, on your behalf — That you manifested such readiness in embracing the gospel, and that you have hitherto had your conversation according to it. But yet I would have you — Not only obedient, but discreet also; wise, with regard to that which is good — As well-informed and knowing in this as possible; and simple with regard to that which is evil — As little as possible acquainted with it, or perfectly free from all improper views and designs of every kind. “The apostle’s argument is this: Since ye have shown such prudence and discernment in receiving the gospel, ye should show like prudence and discernment in your behaviour under it, by doing every thing that is good, and by preserving yourselves unpolluted with evil.” And the God of peace — Who hath made peace for us through the blood of the cross; He, from whom we derive all our peace and happiness, who delights in seeing this peaceful temper prevail among his servants, and who is an enemy to those divisions, mentioned Romans 16:17 , shall bruise Satan — Who, by his instruments, seeks to seduce and disturb you; under your feet shortly — Shall give you victory over him, and defeat all the artifices of that sower of tares. It is with great propriety that this epithet, the God of peace, is here used, because, unless peace had been made between God and us, Satan would have kept us in everlasting bondage and misery. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ — The unmerited favour of God, as the fountain of all good, and the influences of the Spirit, as streams flowing from thence, together with the increase thereof, as blessings purchased for us, and communicated to us by Christ, be with you, still more constantly and abundantly! Amen. Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. Romans 16:21 Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. Romans 16:21 . Timotheus my work-fellow — Or fellow labourer, and Lucius, &c ., salute you — Desire that their sincere love and Christian friendship may be testified to you. As Timothy had never been at Rome, he is not named in the beginning of the epistle. Of Paul’s first acquaintance with Timothy, see on Acts 16:1-3 . We find a person of the name of Lucius, spoken of Acts 13:1 , as one of the prophets of the church at Antioch; but that Lucius, being nowhere mentioned as Paul’s companion in travel, Origen was of opinion that the Lucius here mentioned was Luke the evangelist, whom the apostle called Lucius after the Roman manner, as he called Silas, Silvanus. But we have no proof that Luke was with the apostle at Corinth when he wrote this epistle. Jason is probably the person so called, with whom Paul lodged at Thessalonica, Acts 17:7 ; and who, on that account, was accused to the magistrates of harbouring seditious persons. Sosipater is the person called Sopater of Berea, Acts 20:4 : he and Jason are probably called the apostle’s kinsmen, merely because they were Jews. Romans 16:22 I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord. Romans 16:22-24 . I Tertius, who wrote this epistle — While the apostle dictated it to me; or he might mean that he transcribed it from the apostle’s autograph: salute you in the Lord — The Lord Christ, our common Master. This sentence Tertius inserted by the apostle’s advice, or at least, permission. Gaius, mine host, by whom I am entertained here at Corinth; see 1 Corinthians 1:14 : and of the whole church — To all the members of which he shows great hospitality. Or the meaning may be, that the members of the church at Corinth met for some time in his house. Erastus the chamberlain of the city — Namely, of Corinth, saluteth you — The original expression, ????????? ??? ?????? , is, literally, the steward of the city; but in the Vulgate version it is translated, arcarius civitatis, treasurer of the city. And Quartus a brother — That is, a Christian brother; or, as some think the expression implies, a Christian minister: doubtless he was a person of some note among the first Christians, otherwise his name would not have been inserted here. The grace of our Lord, &c., be with you all — This apostolical benediction, (which the apostle here repeats to testify still further his great affection for them, and his earnest desire of their welfare,) he always wrote with his own hand, to distinguish his genuine epistles from those that were forged in his name, 2 Thessalonians 3:17 ; and he commonly ended his letters with it. But on this occasion he added also, (it seems in his own hand-writing,) that grand doxology contained in the three following verses; in which he offers a solemn thanksgiving to God for the calling of the Gentiles by the apostle’s preaching Christ to them, according to the revelation of that mystery made to him, and according to God’s express commandment in the prophetic writings of the Jews. And as he had explained these subjects in the foregoing epistle, this doxology was placed at the conclusion of it with great propriety, and could not but be very acceptable to all the Gentiles. Romans 16:23 Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother. Romans 16:24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, Romans 16:25-27 . Now to him that is of power, ?? ???????? , that is able, to establish you according to my gospel — That is, in your belief of the great and important doctrines contained in it, particularly those that respect the gratuitous justification of Jews and Gentiles by faith. “These doctrines he calls his gospel, or good news, not in contradistinction to the good news of the other apostles, as Locke fancies, to the great discredit of the rest, whose doctrine was the same with Paul’s, so far as it went: but in opposition to the doctrines taught by the Judaizers, and other false teachers, who added the law to the gospel, on pretence that the gospel was defective in rites of atonement.” This is not all: he doubtless desired also that they should be established in the possession of all Christian graces, particularly in the faith whereby the just live and walk; in that hope of life eternal which is as an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast; and in that love to God, his people, and all mankind, in which whosoever abideth, dwelleth in God, and God in him; and in all other graces comprehended in, or flowing from these. He wished them to be established also in the steady, persevering performance of every Christian duty, whether toward God or man: or, in seeking glory, honour, and immortality; by a patient continuance in well-doing — By being steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord: according to the revelation of the mystery — Of the admission of the Gentiles into the church of God, without subjecting them to the law of Moses; which, as plainly as it was foretold in the prophets, was still hid from many even of the believing Jews, and is therefore called a mystery, (in allusion to the mysteries of the heathen, which used to be concealed from all but the initiated,) kept secret since the world began — Or, as ??????? ???????? ??????????? , may be rendered, kept in silence from eternal ages; or in all former ages from the beginning of the world. But now is made manifest — By the preaching of the gospel; and by, or according to, the scriptures of the prophets, the meaning whereof is now set forth and elucidated by the revelation of the Spirit; not by chance, but according to the commandment (which is the chief foundation of the apostolical office) of the everlasting God — A more proper epithet could not be used. A new dispensation infers no change in God. Known unto him are all his works, and every variation of them, from eternity. Made known to all nations — To the Gentile nations as well as the people of Israel; for the obedience of the faith — That they might not only know the blessings of the gospel, but enjoy them also, by believing in Christ, and in the truths and promises of his gospel, as they are commanded to do. To God only wise — Whose manifold wisdom is known in the church through the gospel, and who has so prudently contrived, and so effectually executed, this grand scheme. Dr. Macknight renders the clause, To the wise God alone, thinking that is the true translation, both here and in 1 Timothy 1:17 ; Jdg 1:25 ; because, “if the translation were to be, To the only wise God, it would imply that there are some gods who are not wise. Or if we render the clause, To God only wise, the reader might be apt to think that God hath no perfection but wisdom.” Whereas “the apostle’s meaning is, that glory ought to be ascribed to God alone in the highest degree: or that God alone is entitled thereto, in and of himself;” all other beings, to whom any glory is due, deriving their title to it from the perfection which God has communicated to them, or the authority which he has bestowed on them: be glory in all the churches on earth, and in the general assembly and church of the firstborn in heaven; through Jesus Christ for ever — Through his mediation and grace, through which alone guilty and sinful creatures can give glory to God in an acceptable manner; and let every believer say, Amen! “Thus endeth Paul’s Epistle to the Romans; a writing which, for sublimity and truth of sentiment, for brevity and strength of expression, for regularity in its structure, but above all, for the unspeakable importance of the discoveries which it contains, stands unrivalled by any human composition; and as far exceeds the most celebrated productions of the learned Greeks and Romans, as the shining of the sun exceedeth the twinkling of the stars.” Romans 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: Romans 16:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.
Expositors
Romans 16
Expositor's Bible Commentary Romans 16:1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: Chapter 32 A COMMENDATION; GREETINGS; A WARNING; A DOXOLOGY Romans 16:1-27 ONCE more, with a reverent license of thought, we may imagine ourselves to be watching in detail the scene in the house of Gaius. Hour upon hour has passed over Paul and his scribe as the wonderful Message has developed itself, at once and everywhere the word of man and the Word of God. They began at morning, and the themes of sin, and righteousness, and glory, of the present and the future of Israel, of the duties of the Christian life, of the special problems of the Roman Mission, have carried the hours along to noon, to afternoon. Now, to the watcher from the westward lattice, "Slow sinks, more lovely ere his race be run, Along Morea’s hills the setting sun; Not, as in northern climes, obscurely bright, But one unclouded blaze of living light." The Apostle, pacing the chamber, as men are wont to do when they use the pens of others, is aware that his message is at an end, as to doctrine and counsel. But before he bids his willing and wondering secretary rest from his labours, he has to discharge his own heart of the personal thoughts and affections which have lain ready in it all the while, and which his last words about his coming visit to the City have brought up in all their life and warmth. And now Paul and Tertius are no longer alone; other brethren have found their way to the chamber-Timotheus, Lucius, Jason, Sosipater; Gaius himself; Quartus; and no less a neighbour than Erastus, Treasurer of Corinth. A page of personal messages is yet to be dictated, from St. Paul, and from his friends. Now first he must not forget the pious woman who is-so we surely may assume-to take charge of this inestimable packet, and to deliver it at Rome. We know nothing of Phoebe but from this brief mention. We cannot perhaps be formally certain that she is here described as a female Church official, a "deaconess" in a sense of that word familiar in later developments of Church order-a woman set apart by the laying on of hands, appointed to enquire into and relieve temporal distress, and to be the teacher of female enquirers in the mission. But there is at least a great likelihood that something like this was her position; for she was not merely an active Christian, she was "a ministrant of the Church." And she was certainly, as a person, worthy of reliance and of loving commendatory praise, now that some cause-absolutely unknown to us; perhaps nothing more unusual than a change of residence, obliged by private circumstances - took her from Achaia to Italy. She had been a devoted and it would seem particularly a brave friend of converts in trouble, and of St. Paul himself. Perhaps in the course of her visits to the desolate she had fought difficult battles of protest, where she found harshness and oppressions. Perhaps she had pleaded the forgotten cause of the poor, with a woman’s courage, before some neglectful richer "brother." Then Rome itself, as he sees Phoebe reaching it, rises-as yet only in fancy; it was still unknown to him-upon his mind. And there, moving up and down in that strange and almost awful world, he sees one by one the members of a large group of his personal Christian friends, and his beloved Aquila and Prisca are most visible of all. These must be individually saluted. What the nature of these friendships was we know in some instances, for we are told here. But why the persons were at Rome, in the place which Paul himself had never reached, we do not know, nor ever shall. Many students of the Epistle, it is well known, find a serious difficulty in this list of friends so placed-the persons so familiar, the place so strange; and they would have us took on this sixteenth chapter as a fragment from some other Letter, pieced in here by mistake; or what not. But no ancient copy of the Epistle gives us, by its condition, any real ground for such conjectures. And all that we have to do to realise possibilities in the actual features of the case, is to assume that many at least of this large Roman group, as surely Aquila and Prisca, had recently migrated from the Levant to Roman; a migration as common and almost as easy then as is the modern influx of foreign denizens to London. Bishop Lightfoot, in an Excursus in his edition of the Philippian Epistle, has given us reason to think that not a few of the "Romans" named here by St. Paul were members of that "Household of Caesar" of which in later days he speaks to the Philippians { Php 4:22 } as containing its "saints," saints who send special greetings to the Macedonian brethren. The Domus Caesaris included "the whole of the Imperial household, the meanest slaves, as well as the most powerful courtiers"; "all persons in the Emperor’s service, whether slaves or free men, in Italy and even in the provinces." The literature of sepulchral inscriptions at Rome is peculiarly rich in allusions to members of "the Household." And it is from this quarter, particularly from discoveries in it made early in the last century, that Lightfoot gets good reasons for thinking that in Php 4:22 we may, quite possibly, be reading a greeting from Rome sent by the very persons (speaking roundly) who are here greeted in the Epistle to Rome. A place of burial on the Appian Way, devoted to the ashes of Imperial freedmen and slaves, and other similar receptacles, all to be dated with practical certainty about the middle period of the first century, yield the following names: Amplias, Urbanus, Stachys, Apelles, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, Rufus, Hermes, Hermas, Philologus, Julius, Nereis; a name which might have denoted the sister (see Romans 16:15 ) of a man Nereus. Of course such facts must be used with due reserve in inference. But they make it abundantly clear that, in Lightfoot’s words, "the names and allusions at the close of the Roman Epistle are in keeping with the circumstances of the metropolis in St. Paul’s day." They help us to a perfectly truth like theory. We have only to suppose that among St. Paul’s converts and friends in Asia and Eastern Europe many either belonged already to the ubiquitous "Household," or entered it after conversion, as purchased slaves or otherwise; and that some time before our Epistle was written there was a large draft from the provincial to the metropolitan department; and that thus, when St. Paul thought of personal Christian friends at Rome, he would happen to think, mainly, of "saints of Caesar’s Household." Such a theory would also, by the way, help to explain the emphasis with which just these "saints" sent their greeting, later, to Philippi. Many of them might have lived in Macedonia, and particularly in the colonia of Philippi, before the time of their supposed transference to Rome. We may add, from Lightfoot’s discussion, a word about "the households," or "people"-of Aristobulus and Narcissus-mentioned in the greetings before us. It seems at least likely that the Aristobulus of the Epistle was a grandson of Herod the Great, and brother of Agrippa of Judea; a prince who lived and died at Rome. At his death it would be no improbable thing that his "household" should pass by legacy to the Emperor, while they would still, as a sort of clan, keep their old master’s name. Aristobulus’ servants, probably many of them Jews (Herodion, St. Paul’s kinsman, may have been a retainer of this Herod), would thus now be a part of "the Household of Caesar," and the Christians among them would be a group of "the Household saints." As to the Narcissus of the Epistle, he may well have been the all-powerful freedman of Claudius, put to death early in Nero’s time. On his death, his great familia would become, by confiscation, part of "the Household"; and its Christian members would be thought of by St. Paul as among "the Household saints." Thus it is at least possible that the holy lives which here pass in such rapid file before us were lived not only in Rome, but in a connection more or less close with the service and business of the Court of Nero. So freely does grace make light of circumstance. Now it is time to come from our preliminaries to the text. But-the word may mark the movement of thought from his own delay in reaching them to Phoebe’s immediate coming-I commend to you Phoebe, our sister (this Christian woman bore, without change, and without reproach, the name of the Moon Goddess of the Greeks), being a ministrant of the Church which is in Cenchreae, the Aegaean port of Corinth; that you may welcome her, in the Lord, as a fellow member of His Body, in a way worthy of the saints, with all the respect and the affection of the Gospel, and that you may stand by her in any matter in which she may need you, stranger as she will be at Rome. For she on her part has proved a stand by (almost a champion, one who stands up for others) of many, aye, and of me among them. Greet Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus; the friends who for my life’s sake submitted their own throat to the knife (it was at some stern crisis otherwise utterly unknown to us, but well known in heaven); to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the Churches of the Nations; for they saved the man whom the Lord consecrated to the service of the Gentile world. And the Church at their house greet with them; that is, the Christians of their neighbourhood, who used Aquila’s great room as their house of prayer; the embryo of our parish or district Church. This provision of a place of worship was an old usage of this holy pair, whom St. Paul’s almost reverent affection presents to us in such a living individuality. They had gathered "a domestic Church" at Corinth, not many months before. { 1 Corinthians 16:19 } And earlier still, at Ephesus, { Acts 18:26 } they wielded such a Christian influence that they must have been a central point of influence and gathering there also. In Prisca, or Priscilla, as it has been remarked, we have "an example of what a married woman may do, for the general service of the Church, in conjunction with home duties, just as Phoebe is the type of the unmarried servant of the Church, or deaconess." Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first fruits of Asia, that is of the Ephesian Province, unto Christ; doubtless one who "owed his soul" to St. Paul in that three years’ missionary pastorate at Ephesus, and who was now bound to him by the indescribable tie which makes the converter and converted one. Greet Mary-a Jewess probably, Miriam or Maria-for she toiled hard for you; when and how we cannot know. Greet Andronicus and Junias, funianus, my kinsmen, and my fellow captives in Christ’s war; a loving and mindful reference to the human relationships which so freely, but not lightly, he had sacrificed for Christ, and to some persecution battle (was it at Philippi?) when these good men had shared his prison; men who are distinguished among the apostles; either as being themselves, in a secondary sense, devoted "apostles," Christ’s missionary delegates, though not of the Apostolate proper, or as being honoured above the common, for their toll and their character, by the Apostolic Brotherhood; who also before me came to be, as they are, in Christ. Not improbably these two early converts helped to "goad" { Acts 26:14 } the conscience of their still persecuting Kinsman, and to prepare the way of Christ in his heart. Greet Amplias, Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord; surely a personal convert of his own. Greet Urbanus, my coworker in Christ, and Stachys-another masculine name-my beloved. Greet Apelles, that tested man in Christ; the Lord knows, not we, the tests he stood. Greet those who belong to Aristobulus’ people. Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those who belong to Narcissus’ people; those who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa (almost certainly, by the type of their names, female slaves), who toil in the Lord, perhaps as "servants of the Church," so far as earthly service would allow them. Greet Persis, the beloved woman (with faultless delicacy he does not here say "my beloved," as he had said of the Christian men mentioned just above), for she toiled hard in the Lord; perhaps at some time when St. Paul had watched her in a former and more Eastern home. Greet Rufus-just possibly the Rufus of Mark 15:21 , brother of Alexander, and son of Cross-carrying Simon; the family was evidently known to St. Mark, and we have good cause to think that St. Mark wrote primarily for Roman readers-Rufus, the chosen man in the Lord, a saint of the elite; and his mother-and mine! This nameless woman had done a mother’s part, somehow and somewhere, to the motherless Missionary, and her lovingkindness stands recorded now "In either Book of Life, here and above." Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them; dwellers perhaps in some isolated and distant quarter of Rome, a little Church by themselves. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and all the saints who are with them, in their assembly. Greet one another with a sacred kiss; the Oriental pledge of friendship, and of respect. All the Churches of Christ greet you; Corinth, Cenchreae, "with all the saints in the whole of Achaia". { 2 Corinthians 1:1 } The roll of names is over, with its music, that subtle characteristic of such recitations of human personalities, and with its moving charm for the heart due almost equally to our glimpses of information about one here and one there and to our total ignorance about others; an ignorance of everything about them but that they were at Rome, and that they were in Christ. We seem, by an effort of imagination, to see, as through a bright cloud, the faces of the company, and to catch the far-off voices; but the dream "dissolves in wrecks"; we do not know them, we do not know their distant world, But we do know Him in whom they were, and are; and that they have been "with Him, which is far better," for now so long a time of rest and glory. Some no doubt by deaths of terror and wonder, by the fire, by the horrible wild beasts, "departed to be with Him"; some went, perhaps, with a dismissal as gentle as love and stillness could make it. But however, they were the Lord’s; they are with the Lord. And we, in Him, "Are tending upward too, As fast as time can move." So we watch this unknown yet well-beloved company, with a sense of fellowship and expectation impossible out of Christ. This page is no mere relic of the past; it is a list of friendships to be made hereafter, and to be possessed forever, in the endless life where personality indeed shall be eternal, but where also the union of personalities, in Christ, shall be beyond our utmost present thought. But the Apostle cannot close with these messages of love. He remembers another and anxious need, a serious spiritual peril in the Roman community. He has not even alluded to it before, but it must be handled, however briefly, now: But I appeal to you, brethren, to watch the persons who make the divisions and the stumbling blocks you know of, alien to the teaching which you learnt (there is an emphasis on "you," as if to difference the true-hearted converts from these troublers); -and do turn away from them; go, and keep, out of their way; wise counsel for a peaceable but effectual resistance. For such people are not bondservants of our Lord Jesus Christ, but they are bondservants of their own belly. They talk much of a mystic freedom; and free indeed they are from the accepted dominion of the Redeemer-but all the more they are enslaved to themselves; and by their pious language and their specious pleas they quite beguile the hearts of the simple, the unsuspicious. And they may perhaps have special hopes of beguiling you, because of your well-known readiness to submit, with the submission of faith, to sublime truths; a noble character, but calling inevitably for the safeguards of intelligent caution: For your obedience, "the obedience of faith," shown when the Gospel reached you, was carried by report to all men, and so to these beguilers, who hope now to entice your faith astray. As regards you, therefore, looking only at your personal condition, I rejoice. Only I wish you to be wise as to what is good, but uncontaminated (by defiling knowledge) as to what is evil. He would not have their holy readiness to believe distorted into an unhallowed and falsely tolerant curiosity. He would have their faith not only submissive but spiritually intelligent; then they would be alive to the risks of a counterfeited and illusory "Gospel." They would feel, as with an educated Christian instinct, where decisively to hold back, where to refuse attention to unwholesome teaching. But the God of our peace will crush Satan down beneath your feet speedily. This spiritual mischief, writhing itself, like the serpent of Paradise, into your happy precincts, is nothing less than a stratagem of the great Enemy’s own; a movement of his mysterious personal antagonism to your Lord, and to you His people. But the Enemy’s Conqueror, working in you, will make the struggle short and decisive. Meet the inroad in the name of Him who has made peace for you, and works peace in you, and it will soon be over. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. be (or may we not render is?) with you. What precisely was the mischief, who precisely were the dangerous teachers, spoken of here so abruptly and so urgently by St. Paul? It is easier to ask the question than to answer it. Some expositors have sought a solution in the fourteenth and fifteenth chapters, and have found in an extreme school of theoretical "liberty" these men of "pious language and specious pleas." But to us this seems impossible. Almost explicitly, in those chapters, he identifies himself in principle with "the capable"; certainly there is not a whisper of horror as regards their principle, and nothing but a friendly while unreserved reproof for the uncharity of their practice. Here he has in his mind men whose purposes and whose teachings are nothing but evil; who are to be-not indeed persecuted but-avoided; not met in conference, but solemnly refused a further hearing. In our view, the case was one of embryo Gnosticism. The Romans, so we take it, were troubled by teachers who used the language of Christianity, saying much of "Redemption," and of "Emancipation," and something of "Christ," and of "the Spirit"; but all the while they meant a thing totally different from the Gospel of the Cross. They meant by redemption and freedom, the liberation of spirit from matter. They meant by Christ and the Spirit, mere links in a chain of phantom beings, supposed to span the gulf between the Absolute Unknowable Existence and the finite World. And their morality too often tended to the tenet that as matter was hopelessly evil, and spirit the unfortunate prisoner in matter, the material body had nothing to do with its unwilling, and pure, Inhabitant: let the body go its own evil way, and work out its base desires. Our sketch is taken from developed Gnosticism, such as it is known to have been a generation or two later than St. Paul. But it is more than likely that such errors were present, in essence, all through the Apostolic age. And it is easy to see how they could from the first disguise themselves in the special terminology of the Gospel of liberty and of the Spirit. Such things may look to us, after eighteen hundred years, only like fossils of the old rocks. They are indeed fossil specimens-but of existing species. The atmosphere of the Christian world is still infected, from time to time-perhaps more now than a few generations ago, whatever that fact may mean-with unwholesome subtleties, in which the purest forms of truth are indescribably manipulated into the deadliest related error; a mischief sure to betray itself, however, (where the man tempted to parley with it is at once wakeful and humble,) by some fatal flaw of pride, or of untruthfulness, or of an uncleanness however subtle. And for the believer so tempted, under common circumstances, there is still, as of old, no counsel more weighty than St. Paul’s counsel here. If he would deal with such snares in the right way, he must "turn away from them." He must turn away to the Christ of history. He must occupy himself anew with the primeval Gospel of pardon, holiness, and heaven. Is the letter to be closed here at last? Not quite yet; not until one and then another of the gathered circle has committed his greetings to it. And first comes up the dear Timotheus, the man nearest of all to the strong heart of the Apostle. We seem to see him alive before us, so much has St. Paul, in one Epistle and another, but above all in his dying letter to Timotheus himself, contributed to a portrait. He is many years younger than his leader and Christian Father. His face, full of thought, feeling, and devotion, is rather earnest than strong. But it has the strength of patience, and of absolute sincerity, and of rest in Christ. Timotheus repays the affection of Paul with unwavering fidelity. And he will be true to the end to his Lord and Redeemer, through whatever tears and agonies of sensibility. Then Lucius will speak, perhaps the Cyrenian of Antioch; { Acts 13:1 } and Jason, perhaps the convert of Thessalonica; { Acts 17:5 } and Sosipater, perhaps the Berean Sopater of Acts 20:4 ; three blood relations of the Apostle, who was not left utterly alone of human affinities, though he had laid them all at his Master’s feet. Then the faithful Tertius claims the well-earned privilege of writing one sentence for himself. And Gaius modestly requests his salutation, and Erastus, the man of civic dignity and large affairs. He has found no discord between the tenure of a great secular office and the life of Christ; but today he is just a brother with brethren, named side by side with the Quartus whose only title is that beautiful one, "the brother," "our fellow in the family of God." So the gathered friends speak each in his turn to the Christians of the City; we listen as the names are given: There greets you Timotheus my fellow worker, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipatrus, my kinsmen. There greets you I, Tertius, who wrote the Epistle in the Lord; he had been simply Paul’s conscious pen, but also he had willingly drawn the strokes as being one with Christ, and as working in His cause. There greets you Gaius, host of me and of the whole Church; universal welcomer to his door of all who love his beloved Lord, and now particularly of all at Corinth who need his Lord’s Apostle. There greets you Erastus, the Treasurer of the City, and Quartus ("Kouartos"), the brother. Here, as we seem to discern the scene, there is indeed a pause, and what might look like an end. Tertius lays down the pen. The circle of friends breaks up, and Paul is left alone-alone with his unseen Lord, and with that long, silent Letter; his own, yet not his own. He takes it in his hands, to read, to ponder, to believe, to call up again the Roman converts, so dear, so far away, and to commit them again for faith, and for life, to Christ and to His Father. He sees them beset by the encircling masses of pagan idolatry and vice, and by the embittered Judaism which meets them at every turn. He sees them hindered by their own mutual prejudices and mistakes; for they are sinners still. Lastly, he sees them approached by this serpentine delusion of an unhallowed mysticism, which would substitute the thought of matter for that of sin, and reverie for faith, and an unknowable Somewhat, inaccessible to the finite, for the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he sees this astonishing Gospel, whose glorious outline and argument he has been caused to draw, as it was never drawn before, on those papyrus pages; the truth of God, not of man; veiled so long, promised so long, known at last; the Gospel which displays the sinner’s peace, the believer’s life, the radiant boundless future of the saints, and, in all and above all, the eternal love of the Father and the Son. In this Gospel, "his Gospel," he sees manifested afresh his God. And he adores Him afresh, and commits to Him afresh these dear ones of the Roman Mission. He must give them one word more, to express his overrunning heart. He must speak to them of Him who is Almighty for them against the complex might of evil. He must speak of that Gospel in whose lines the almighty grade will run. It is the Gospel of Paul, but also and first the "proclamation made by Jesus Christ" of Himself as our Salvation. It is the Secret "hushed" throughout the long aeons of the past, but now spoken out indeed; the Message which the Lord of Ages, choosing His hour aright, now imperially commands to be announced to the Nations, that they may submit to it and live. It is the vast fulfilment of those mysterious Scriptures which are now the credentials, and the watchword, of its preachers. It is the supreme expression of the sole and eternal Wisdom; clear to the intellect of the heaven-taught child; more unfathomable, even to the heavenly watchers, than Creation itself. To the God of this Gospel he must now entrust the Romans, in the glowing words in which he worships Him through the Son in whom He is seen and praised. To this God-while the very language is broken by its own force-he must give glory everlasting, for His Gospel, and for Himself. He takes the papers, and the pen. With dim eyes, and in large, laborious letters, and forgetting at the close, in the intensity of his soul, to make perfect the grammatical connection, he inscribes, in the twilight, this most wonderful of Doxologies. Let us watch him to its close, and then in silence leave him before his Lord, and ours: But to Him who is able to establish you, according to my Gospel, and the proclamation of, made by, Jesus Christ, true to ( ???? ) (the) unveiling of (the) Secret hushed in silence during ages of times, but manifested now, and through (the) prophetic Scriptures, according to the edict of the God of Ages, for faith’s obedience, published among all the Nations-to God Only Wise, through Jesus Christ-to whom be the glory unto the ages of the ages. Amen. The Expositor's Bible Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.
Illustrator
Romans 16
Romans 16:1-16 The conclusion of the Epistle J. Parker, D.D. 1. This is scarcely the kind of conclusion that one would have expected. One would have thought that the rapt apostle, having been borne to the loftiest circles of contemplation, would have now flung his inspired pen upon the page he had immortalised. Instead of this, he threads his way into many of the minutest details of Christian life, and concludes his unparalleled effort by blessing many who had lightened his toil. 2. We dare now approach the apostle. While he was pursuing some of the issues of his "great argument," we could but gaze with fearfulness ( Romans 11:33 ). Now he speaks friendship's simple and holy word we can better see the man. This summary of friendly reminiscences and fraternal salutatlons — I. REVEALS THE TRUE BOND OF MORAL UNITY. 1. Look at the representative character of the list. You have men and women, old and young, prisoners and freemen, apostles of note and persons who are lost in obscurity; men of prudence and of enthusiasm. What is the secret of union between such a community and the solitary apostle? Love. This is the indissoluble bond. Every other tie snaps. Some persons have suggested that Paul was not the most lovable of men. Probably this was so according to the common canons, but so much the worse for the common canons. Paul was a man who made enemies every day, but the man who is most hated is also the man who is most loved. While forty Jews would enter into a vow to kill him, Priscilla and Aquila would lay "down their own necks" to save him from a blow. You could not comprehend this man in one day's acquaintance. He did not publish a full edition of himself every day. He must be much known to be much loved. Hence the affection of this representative community. They had sat with him by the quiet fireside; in the man-revealing company of little children; they had heard him thrill the vast assembly; they had listened to him praying within their own homes; they had seen him make Felix quake and turn Agrippa pale; and the closeness of their acquaintance explained the depth of their affection. 2. Here is encouragement for all true moral labourers. You may meet with much ingratitude, yet if you truly labour you will come into a large estate of love, and love will do more for us than genius or wealth or prestige. II. JUSTIFIES THE EMPLOYMENT OF BOTH SEXES IN MORAL SERVICE. Note — 1. The honourable mention which is made of certain beloved sisters; and it is not to be overlooked that they are referred to as directly connected with Church work. Phebe was a deaconess and went to Rome on a Church errand. The apostle's testimony concerning her is brief, but full of significance. It is as though he had said, When the eye sees her it blesses her. Little children hail her presence as they hail the morning sunshine. Misery dries its eyes when she approaches; she never puts out her hand except to succour the servants of Christ. Priscilla was a "helper in Christ Jesus"; the beloved Persis "laboured much in the Lord"; and Mary "bestowed much labour." Thus shall the righteous be had in everlasting remembrance. If you ask me whether I object to a woman preaching, I answer, I never object to any woman doing a good thing. Apart from this, however, there is much Church-work which a woman can do much better than a man. At the same time note Titus 2:1-5 . 2. The great diversity in their methods of operation. Tryphena and Tryphosa laboured in the Lord; Persis laboured "much" in the Lord. Tryphena and Tryphosa may represent either those who can only do a little, but who do that little with all their heart; or those half-day teachers who could come both times, but prefer not to do so; our attendants who regulate their evangelical zeal by the barometer, and who are now sunny as July, now sullen as November. On the other hand, Persis is always at work; she can never do enough; her godly ambition is never satisfied. 3. That all those persons laboured "in the Lord." If you ask me whether unconverted persons should teach in the Sabbath School, I answer — Teach what? If the Sabbath School aims to teach the way of salvation, then how can those who do not know that way teach it? How can the man who does not know geometry teach geometry? It is argued that many by so doing have found salvation. I know it. I rejoice in it. At the same time it is a risky experiment. Would you engage a dishonest man to teach your children honesty, in the hope that by so doing he might become conscientious? Would you engage an unskilled man to teach your children music, with the hope that he himself might gain skill through practice? If some teachers have become saved, may not some scholars have been lost, or have received wrong ideas of religion? The school had better be taught by one man who loves Jesus than by a thousand who have only heard of Him. III. WARRANTS THE EXERCISE OF DISCRIMINATION AS TO THE RESPECTIVE MERITS OF MORAL LABOURERS. The apostle connects the highest encomium with some names, and only mentions others. As an honest man he entertains different opinions about different people. He loves some, and others he loves very much. Imagine the Church assembled to hear this letter read. To one name there is a compliment, to another none! Amplias is "my beloved in the Lord," while not a word is said about Philologus or Julia! Andronicus and Junia are "of note among the apostles"; while Nereus and his sister are coldly mentioned without a flower being flung to either of them! Apelles is "approved in Christ"; but not a word is said about Olympas! Think what jealousy might have been fired in the Roman breast! Only grace could overcome the passions under such circumstances. Let us beware of envy. ( J. Parker, D.D. )
Matthew Henry
Romans 16
16:1-16 Paul recommends Phebe to the Christians at Rome. It becomes Christians to help one another in their affairs, especially strangers; we know not what help we may need ourselves. Paul asks help for one that had been helpful to many; he that watereth shall be watered also himself. Though the care of all the churches came upon him daily, yet he could remember many persons, and send salutations to each, with particular characters of them, and express concern for them. Lest any should feel themselves hurt, as if Paul had forgotten them, he sends his remembrances to the rest, as brethren and saints, though not named. He adds, in the close, a general salutation to them all, in the name of the churches of Christ. 16:17-20 How earnest, how endearing are these exhortations! Whatever differs from the sound doctrine of the Scriptures, opens a door to divisions and offences. If truth be forsaken, unity and peace will not last long. Many call Christ, Master and Lord, who are far from serving him. But they serve their carnal, sensual, worldly interests. They corrupt the head by deceiving the heart; perverting the judgments by winding themselves into the affections. We have great need to keep our hearts with all diligence. It has been the common policy of seducers to set upon those who are softened by convictions. A pliable temper is good when under good guidance, otherwise it may be easily led astray. Be so wise as not to be deceived, yet so simple as not to be deceivers. The blessing the apostle expects from God, is victory over Satan. This includes all designs and devices of Satan against souls, to defile, disturb, and destroy them; all his attempts to keep us from the peace of heaven here, and the possession of heaven hereafter. When Satan seems to prevail, and we are ready to give up all as lost, then will the God of peace interpose in our behalf. Hold out therefore, faith and patience, yet a little while. If the grace of Christ be with us, who can prevail against us? 16:21-24 The apostle adds affectionate remembrances from persons with him, known to the Roman Christians. It is a great comfort to see the holiness and usefulness of our kindred. Not many mighty, not many noble are called, but some are. It is lawful for believers to bear civil offices; and it were to be wished that all offices in Christian states, and in the church, were bestowed upon prudent and steady Christians. 16:25-27 That which establishes souls, is, the plain preaching of Jesus Christ. Our redemption and salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, are, without controversy, a great mystery of godliness. And yet, blessed be God, there is as much of this mystery made plain as will bring us to heaven, if we do not wilfully neglect so great salvation. Life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel, and the Sun of Righteousness is risen on the world. The Scriptures of the prophets, what they left in writing, is not only made plain in itself, but by it this mystery is made known to all nations. Christ is salvation to all nations. And the gospel is revealed, not to be talked of and disputed about, but to be submitted to. The obedience of faith is that obedience which is paid to the word of faith, and which comes by the grace of faith. All the glory that passes from fallen man to God, so as to be accepted of him, must go through the Lord Jesus, in whom alone our persons and doings are, or can be, pleasing to God. Of his righteousness we must make mention, even of his only; who, as he is the Mediator of all our prayers, so he is, and will be, to eternity, the Mediator of all our praises. Remembering that we are called to the obedience of faith, and that every degree of wisdom is from the only wise God, we should, by word and deed, render glory to him through Jesus Christ; that so the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may be with us for ever.